Conceptions of Teacher and Teaching Effectiveness in Higher Education

Through the use of ordinary language analysis and content analysis, concepts of teacher and teaching effectiveness as found in selected examples of the literature of instruction in higher education, student instructional rating forms, and personnel policies are delineated. The most widely used conceptions of “effectiveness” are those related to the “efficient production” of student learning and the “pleasant satisfaction” of student instructional preferences. Personnel policies and evaluaton practices frequently incorporate conflicting conceptions of effectiveness.